Cesc Fabregas the latest Arsenal star to be lost to Arsène Wenger’s rough trading policy

Should Cesc Fabregas get his wish of a transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona he
will be the latest in a long list of stars to leave the club for serious
money. So are Arsenal a simply selling club, or is Arsène Wenger a shrewd
operator?

Absent friends: Mathieu Flamini, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have all left Arsenal in recent years with Cesc fabregas set to follow them out of LondonPhoto: ACTION IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

By Steve Wilson

12:57PM BST 19 May 2010

Emmanuel AdebayorBought: £7m from Monaco Jan 2006Sold: £25m to Manchester City Jul 2009Life after Arsenal: A goal every other game for City in his first season at Eastlands fulfilled his personal ambitions but City missed out on Champions League football.Success or failure? A £18m profit on an unpopular and wayward player was tidy but Arsenal were without a leading centre forward for much of last season – could Adebayor’s goals have sustained a title challenge?Wenger’s deal rating: 6/10

Mathieu FlaminiBought: Free transfer from Marseille Jul 2004Sold: Free transfer to AC Milan Jul 2007Life after Arsenal: Regarded as a utility player, Flamini has struggled to hold down a starting place at San Siro and played much of his time as an emergency fullback.Success or failure? Flamini's partnership with Fabregas was beginning to flourish before he left for Italy, but Alex Song has since replaced him with aplomb. Wenger would have liked to retain the player.Wenger’s deal rating: 4/10

Aleksandr HlebBought: £11.2m from Stuttgart Jul 2005Sold: £11.8m to Barcelona Jul 2008Life after Arsenal: Hleb was a peripheral figure at the Nou Camp before being lent to former club Stuttgart last summer. Success or failure? Arsenal missed Hleb’s ability to run at defenders from wide areas last season, if not his woeful shooting. As with Flamini, his move was against the manager’s wishes.Wenger’s deal rating: 4/10

Lassana DiarraBought: £2m from Chelsea Aug 2007Sold: £5.5m to Portsmouth Jan 2008Life after Arsenal: Nomadic, as before. A successful year at Portsmouth included an FA Cup win before Real Madrid came calling.Success or failure? A £2.5m profit on six months is no mean feat but then Portsmouth sold him for four times what they paid Arsenal after a year.Wenger’s deal rating: 4/10

Ashley ColeBought: Youth product Sold: £5m (plus William Gallas) to Chelsea Aug 2006Life after Arsenal: Cole has continued to be among the best left backs in the world since leaving Arsenal and claimed the league and Cup double this season.Success or failure? Gallas has been a rock at the back for Arsenal but Cole’s boots at left back have never convincingly been filled by either Gael Clichy or the youthful Kieran Gibbs.Wenger's deal rating: 4/10

Thierry HenryBought: £10.5m from Juventus Aug 99Sold: £16.1m to Barcelona Jun 2007Life after Arsenal: Henry took time to settle at Barcelona when deployed on the wing as Arsenal dealt with his absence better than many had imagined they would. A league, cup and Champions League treble in his second season vindicated his decision.Success or failure? Getting a large fee for a man approaching his 30th birthday – even if it is possibly the club’s best ever player – is good business.Wenger's deal rating: 7/10

Patrick VieiraBought: £3.5m from AC Milan Aug 1996Sold: £13.7m to Juventus Jul 2005Life after Arsenal: Juve was not a happy experience for Vieira, especially when returning to play Arsenal and being bullied out of the match by Fabregas. Soon moved on to Inter Milan where league titles flowed before a surprise move to Manchester City in January.Success or failure? Vieira did not prowl the midfields of Serie A with the same menace he did the Premier League but in a slower paced league managed to pick up more winners medals.Wenger's deal rating: 8/10

Marc OvermarsBought: £7m from Ajax Jun 97Sold: £25m to Barcelona Jul 2000Life after Arsenal: A stuttering start to life in Spain before he showed flashes of his Arsenal form – albeit without tasting trophy success with Barca.Success or failure? The Dutchman was replaced by Robert Pires in terms of offering width to Arsenal and, arguably, was even better.Wenger's deal rating: 9/10

Emmanuel PetitBought: £5m from Monaco Jun 97Sold: £5m to Barcelona Jul 2007Life after Arsenal: Used as a utility defender only sporadically by Barca he was little more than a make weight in the Overmars deal.Success or failure? Shipping out an ageing player for a reasonable fee was good business for Arsenal with Petit past his best when he formed an unshakable middle pairing with Vieira.Wenger's deal rating: 10/10

Nicolas AnelkaBought: £5m from Paris St Germain Feb 1997Sold: £23m to Real Madrid Aug 1999Life after Arsenal: Anelka became a footballing nomad drifting from Real back to PSG, on to Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Bolton before arriving at Chelsea to claim another league title in England.Success or failure? The perception of Anelka as a young malcontent made parting with him easier than it might otherwise have been – and the massive fee helped too.Wenger's deal rating: 10/10